Various types of hinges for mounting a door on a furniture article such as a desk or cabinet have been used in the furniture and cabinetry industry for many years. An example of one such device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,622. Many of such devices include multiple adjustment components making them bulky, difficult to adjust, quick to wear, and unstable. Typically, one or more screws must be loosened, an adjustment made manually, and then one or more screws must be re-tightened to secure the adjustment. Accordingly, many adjustable hinges may require more than one person to accomplish the adjustment. Examples of such hinges include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,295,282, 5,392,493, and 5,511,287. Improvements to these hinges have been made, such as those depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,599, so that adjustments can be made quickly and easily by one person. However, further improvements are still needed so that hinges can be adjusted with greater efficiency and more precise reliability. To do this, it has been determined that more refined design engineering is required, and the present invention addresses this need and interest.
Three-dimensionally adjustable hinges of the prior art generally encompass one of two forms. In one such prior art design, the height adjustment of the door is accomplished by loosening the mounting screw or screws which extend into the wood furniture frame, adjusting the hinge vertically, then tightening the wood screws to secure the hinge in position. This is a cumbersome method of adjusting the hinge and often leads to deterioration of the wood and eventual failure of the hinge to support the weight of the door. In another prior art hinge design, a series of adjustment screws are provided; however, they are not capable of independent interaction. The adjustment of one screw necessarily requires adjustment of a second screw. This is due, primarily, to simplify the design of such a hinge. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a hinge with three-dimensional mechanical adjustment means which are independent of one another and do not require adjustment of the mounting screw.
The mechanics of adjustable hinge components require various hinge plates to slide upon one another. The hinge components require small tolerances between them so as to minimize play between the components and to securely retain a furniture door in place. Further, the hinge components must support the weight of the door and the stresses associated with opening and closing during operation. As the door moves between an open and a closed position, the forces acting on the various components of the hinge mounting assembly can change dramatically. This has the potential to adversely affect the components and cause excess wear or damage. The additional components required for three dimensional adjustment must be precisely designed so as to tolerate these stresses, but not interfere with the mechanics of the hinge.